Find More Tutoring Jobs

So you’ve decided to get serious about finding more tutoring jobs. Great. But how do you get the ball rolling? What techniques or services are available to help? In this tutorial, learn what it takes to find more tutoring jobs in your area.

Find More Tutoring Jobs

There are many paths towards greater student leads. It’s most important that you put yourself out there in as many ways as you can, especially early on. You never know what methods or agencies might perform well for you given your particular situation (location, asking price, level of expertise).

For simplicity, let’s consider four categories of tutoring lead generation: do-it-yourself; directory listings; independent agencies; and schools and learning centers.

1. Do-It-Yourself

This is my favorite method (evidenced by my founding of The Knowledge Roundtable). But it is certainly not for everyone. Let’s weigh the pro’s and con’s as we explore the tactics.

Craigslist

Posting an ad on Craigslist is super easy. But for exactly that reason, it can be tough to stand out. I do think it’s worth maintaining an ad on Craigslist, but be sure to follow these guidelines for making your ad stand out. Make sure you renew your ad every 48 hours to keep it at the top of the pile. Otherwise it will hardly be worth the time to write it.

Flyers

Flyer posting works better in some towns than others, but overall I think it is worth experimenting with. Keep in mind that you don’t need a professionally designed flyer in order to stand out. Bright paper and large font should do the trick. Here are some examples of cool tutoring flyers.

Website

Having your own website lends considerable weight to your reputation. You can use it to display testimonials, credentials, and publications. There are many platforms that make building a website quick and easy. I personally recommend WordPress, but there are many others. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, or purchase a domain, there are also many blogging platforms available that can serve as your personal website, such as Blogger.

2. Directory Listings

There are a handful of worthwhile tutoring directory sites, one of which you are currently on. Sites like The Knowledge Roundtable allow tutors to create a free tutor profile and give tutors access to free, unlimited tutoring leads. Learn more about becoming a tutor on The Knowledge Roundtable here. Here’s how to maximize the usefulness of tutor directory sites.

Register On Multiple Sites

Depending on the site, registration will take between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Given the potentially large number of leads each site can generate for you, it’s worth registering on at least two. To some extent, finding more tutoring jobs is a numbers game. Give yourself access to as many potential leads as possible.

Optimize Your Profile

Be deliberate about every word you write in your tutor profile. In the beginning, this is all prospective students will have to judge you. Get right to the point, be professional, and proofread. Use a picture that will make parents feel confident about hiring you. Lastly, complete all the certification tests and other bonuses available to help boost your search rankings.

Apply To Tutoring Jobs On The Site

Most tutor directories have open jobs/student requests that need to be filled. Here is a link to our open tutoring jobs. Apply to as many of these as you can to get the ball rolling.

3. Independent Agencies

There are a large number of national and local tutoring agencies that accept applications from tutors. Working for one or two of these agencies, as an independent contractor, is a reliable way to receive additional tutoring leads. Be aware that there are advantages and disadvantages when working with a tutoring agency.

Advantages

Most agencies have something like a sales representative that encourages students to purchase packages. This can translate into longer-term assignments for you.

Sit back and wait for the agency to send you students. No marketing prowess required.

The sales rep will put you in a positive light. Your initial interaction with the parent will be much easier.

Disadvantages

You will likely be interviewed, and may not be selected by all agencies you apply to.

The agency usually dictates your hourly rate, and it is often lower than you could demand on your own.

If times are slow for the agency, there is little you can do about it.

4. Schools And Learning Centers

Working directly for a school or learning center is also an option. This is a bit beyond the scope of the private, in-home tutoring for which I am an expert, but part-time tutoring jobs for on-site work are certainly out there. In many cases that I am aware of, the hourly rates are very low (considerably less than $20/hr). Seeking such tutoring jobs has never appealed to me personally, but it may be of interest to some.

Put Yourself Out There

In order to find more tutoring jobs, put yourself out there by doing your own marketing, by creating tutor profiles on at least two directory sites, and by applying to at least two agencies. Cast a wide net and you will be sure to catch something!

Jared, founder of The Knowledge Roundtable, is passionate about the advancement of knowledge. He has a B.S. in astronomy and physics from UMass and an MBA in Advanced Financial Analytics, also from UMass. He has a day job as a Data Scientist in Boston.
He has over 500 hours of tutoring experience in everything from algebra to writing. He taught our SAT prep group courses for two years in NH, and before that developed educational content for math, stats, and finance textbooks for two years. His teaching style is hands-on with a focus on problem-solving and critical thinking.

1 Comment

This is excellent help for tutors! I think it will pan out, if I am industrious enough. The author obviously cares about others pursuing a livelihood. I am happy that there are companies, and people out there like this. I would give this website a glowing review. I just have yet to get my first student, but I know it’s because it is July. September’s a better time to find students to tutor.